WI vs IND | Rohit thinks India haven't played conservatively

After whitewashing the West Indian side, India will lock horns against the hosts in the first T20I in Trinidad tonight.

Rohit Sharma backs his team ahead of West Indies T20Is

Before the start of this fascinating contest, the Indian captain Rohit Sharma reflected on India's T20 prowess. Notably, India haven't won a single T20 World Cup after 2007. 

They even failed to qualify for the playoffs in World Cup 2021. Such a horrendous performance by the formidable Indian team raised many questions, a prominent one being India's conservative approach with the bat in the shortest format. 

Rohit doesn't think India have played conservatively

Rohit, in his reaction, dismissed such claims by saying that faltering in two World Cup games doesn't place India among conservative T20 sides. The stylish opener justified his point by stating that India won most of their games before the World Cup, something which can't be accomplished by playing with a conservative mindset. 

"I don't agree that we were playing conservative cricket. If you lose an odd game in the World Cup, it seems we were doing things wrong, and we didn't take chances. We won probably 80% [71%] of our games leading into the World Cup. If you are conservative, you won't win these many games," Rohit said. 

Continuing, Rohit stressed that freedom is the foremost thing the players should be provided in a T20 set-up, as it allows them to express themselves freely on the ground. 

The veteran Mumbai batter also disclosed that the players are asked to play for India as they do for their franchise or state team, i.e. without any mental pressure, to deliver their best. 

"We can talk about technique and all during the preparation, but in the match, players should be given the freedom," Rohit said. "We are telling them to play the way they play for their franchise or state. We are trying to give the boys that environment where they play freely and don't think too much about their performance," he concluded. 

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